Newcastle United and Aston Villa are eyeing up stunning moves to sign Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba this summer.
That’s according to a report from The Sun, who claim that Pogba could actually end up staying in the Premier League.
It’s stated that Pogba will, as many expected, be leaving United this summer with his contract expiring.
Ralf Rangnick has hailed Pogba as ‘extraordinary’ but that doesn’t look like changing the Frenchman’s mind ahead of the summer.
The 29-year-old midfielder will be an in-demand free agent and the likes of Juventus, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are all thought to be keen.
Yet the big surprise is that Newcastle and Villa are allegedly looking into Pogba’s situation in the hope of a blockbuster signing.
This seems incredibly unlikely but let’s play along for a second.
Newcastle make more sense than Villa in this situation. The Magpies have the financial backing of PIF and may be able to sign some big stars this summer.
Pogba certainly fits that bill and would bring some star power to the Newcastle midfield.
Pogba, alongside agent Mino Raiola, would absolutely command huge wages and signing-on fees and PIF may be able to pay them.
The World Cup winner joining Bruno Guimaraes in midfield sounds great, but can Newcastle really tempt him to the North East?
It’s early days in this Newcastle project and European football seems a long way off yet, whereas the likes of Juve, Real and PSG can all offer big money and elite action.
Newcastle have to aim high with their new ownership but it’s hard to see Pogba making the switch to St James’ Park right now.
The same goes for Aston Villa, who did manage to attract Philippe Coutinho in January.
Steven Gerrard’s pulling power is huge and Villa look set to back him, but the figures needed for Pogba could be astronomical.
You can never say never in football, but it’s hard to imagine Pogba picking Newcastle or Villa when he becomes a free agent.
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